Off center reamer



July 22, 1941. I p GREEN 2,249,732

OFF CENTER REAMER Filed Sept. 22-, 1939 Patented July 22, 1941 star" 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to an oil center coupling or reamer used in the drilling of oil wells and for similar purposes, and has for its primary object to provide an angular coupling between the stem and the bit and including a blade or a roller with teeth projecting from one side of the coupling, whereby, upon the operation of the tool, the blade or roller will engage one side only of the hole where the same is being bored crooked, and serve to straighten out the hole during the drilling of the well.

An object of the present invention is to provide a coupling of this character of simple and practical construction, which may be easily and quickly installed in operative position on the drill column and which is otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout and in which:

Figure l is a vertical sectional view through the lower end of the drill stem and embodying one form of the invention.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on a line 22 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of a modified form of coupling member and Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on a line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

In Figure l of the drawing I have illustrated my invention in its relative position with the drill stem and bit of a conventional drilling tool.

Referring now to the drawing in detail the numeral 5 designates the hollow drilling stem which is internally threaded at its lower end as shown at 6 and with which is threadedly engaged the upper externally threaded nipple 1 formed on the coupling member 8 forming the present invention. v v

The coupling 6 is employed where it is desired to straighten out the hole being drilled where the same has deviated from a perpendicular line The lower end of the coupling 8 is internally J threaded for receiving the upstanding nipple 9 of the bit Ill, the axis of the internally threaded portion being parallel to the axis of the nipple l.

The coupling 8 is provided with a bore II communicating with the bore I2 of the stem and the bit It] is likewise of hollow construction and provided with a discharge opening I3 for discharging water during the drilling operation.

Projecting from one side of the coupling 8 is a vertically extending blade I4 having a reinforcing lug [5 at its rear side, the blade [4 constituting a reamer so that during the rotation of the drill, and by reason of the offset position of the coupling the reamer will cut one side'only of the hole and thus serve to straighten the hole during the cutting operation. The cutting edge of the reamer does not extend radially beyond the side edge of the bit in order to prevent the widening of the hole by the reamer after the hole has been straightened.

In the modified form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawing a roller !5 is substituted in place of the reamer I4, the roller being of cylindrical form and having trunnions I! at its upper and lower ends journaled in bearing brackets l8 projecting laterally from the side of thecoupling member 19. The roller I6 is free to rotate on the brackets l8 and thus serve the function of the reamer.

Water discharge openings 26 are also formed in the side walls of the coupling in advance of the reamer. g

7 It is believed the details of construction and manner of use of the tool will be readily understood from' the foregoing without further detailed explanation.

What is claimed is:

1. In a drilling tool, a stem, a drill bit, a coupling connecting the stem with the drill bit, said coupling having its longitudinal axis positioned at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of both the stem and the drill bit and a reamer projecting laterally from one side of the coupling,

'said'reamer being positioned at the inside of the side of the coupling on the inside of the angle between .the'coupling and the stem.

'3. In a drilling tool, a stem, a drill bit, a coupling connecting the stem with the drill bit, said 7 coupling having its longitudinal axis positioned at an angle with respect to the longitudinal, axis nal axis of both the stem and the drill bit, a reamer projecting laterally from one side of the coupling, and a cutting edge on said reamer in a plane substantially parallel with the plane of the side of said drill bit and at an angle with the plane of the side of the coupling, said reamer being positioned at the inside of the angle between the coupling and the stem.

PAUL F. GREEN. 

